Page 95 of Ignite

“Until I say.”

I’d been counting down the seconds, the minutes. It had become my mantra. Face easy, eyes cool, and body on fire.

These men didn’t know me. They didn’t know what I was capable of.

They would, after today.

As for Miss Rylee Bloody Mettner, she could stand in line behind every other single woman I was going to tongue-fuck to death in every pub between here and the Victorian border.

Yeah, right.

I couldn’t even fantasize about the Kardasians or my previous go-to fantasy fuck, Tay Tay. No, my heart and cock had been well and truly given to one woman.

No.

“Work harder!” I bellowed, needing my team to help me get over heartbreak the only way I knew how.

Everyone heard the beep, but I held their stare. I wanted them to defy me and learn the consequences. Glaring at each one, I challenged any of them to slow down and sink, or stop before I’d given permission.

Ten, nine, eight, seven—fuck my legs hurt—five, four, three, two—

“Okay, two laps and then get out and get changed.” I yelled out over the grunts that seemed to magnify, bouncing off the water. “Last one ready can give me ten burpees.”

They all groaned. The smart ones were already swimming, the bitches were, well, bitching. Ignoring the commentary about my parentage, I pushed to get to the changing rooms. I wasnotgoing to do the punishment.

Third to be ready, behind Reece who’d decided to show me why he was captain of the all-important RFS, and Korbin—who’d managed to hold his own despite looking the color of bush grass.

“Stretch it out,” I warned, “As soon as the last guy starts doing burpees, the pain begins.”

“Hey, gorgeous.” Felicity arrived right on time. Offering me her first kiss—but only to the cheek—before planting one on Eric who was fourth to get ready. He shook out his wet hair, half drowning me in the process, which I guessed was the point.

“You better be talking to me,” he warned his woman, shooting me a look.

“Ready?” I asked her, ignoring the guys who were still making their way to the changing rooms. One of them would be cursing me for the next month.

“Twenty meters? I’ve got the cones set up in the gym.”

“And the buzzer?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Felicity scoffed. “I’m ready if they are.”

Poor Glenn had struggled to get back into his wet trainers, the only one not to have packed a fresh change of everything. They’d learn. Footballers needed to be prepared at a game; spare everything from mouthguard to tape, to boots. He’d learn, they all would.

“Ten burpees and then you can join us in the gym.”

“But—“

“I’d hurry, because if you’re late to the beep test then you’ll be the first to be eliminated and owe us another twenty burpees.”

Felicity had set up the gym, and I stood at the line, waiting.

We were all tired. Our legs groaned at the thought of the twenty-meter beep test, running to a set cadence. In a line, together.

I needed my team.

Glenn hadn’t made it and Trey soon joined him at the side doing burpees. We were going to keep going until half the team collapsed or threw up—not that I’d told them that part of the challenge. I wanted to see what they were made of, and I wanted to be so exhausted by the end, that any woman would be able to make me forget beautiful brown eyes and killer smile.

And my almost-new truck.

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